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Alester Allyrion
Lord Alester Allyrion is a character in Book 2. He is the head of House Allyrion of Godsgrace and father of Theodan, Ashara, Yandry and Ysilla. Once a wild warrior, age and fatherhood have calmed him down and he is now known as a serious and responsible lord, who puts his house first even over personal aspirations. Background Alester Allyrion was born as the only child of the previous Lord of Godsgrace and as such, while his friends where always left free to do as they please, whoring around, drinking and having fun, Alester was groomed to rule, something that left a mark on his personality and shaped him into the serious and uncompromising man he is today. While his aspirations as a warrior were cut short by his lack of outstanding fighting talent, he found his true calling as a leader and commander, having a keen mind for the finer details of governing and organizing. For political reasons, Alester married Belandra Qorgyle, but the two quickly fell genuinely in love and it did not take long until two children were born, Theodan and two years later, Ashara. Though he never got to have the easy life he admired in his friends, he suppressed these urges and found happiness in his position as the heir to Godsgrace. The death of his father hit Alester hard, due to him having always been close to the man. In return, he started to drink and became generally more sullen. It was a combination of his grief and alcohol that led him to do one fateful mistake, cheating on his wife with another woman. He never revealed the identity of this woman for reasons that are entirely himself, but of this union, a girl was born, a bastard with blonde hair and fair skin, whom he named Ysilla. Naturally, this deed put a strain on his marriage, but Belandra, ever in love with him, eventually forgave him and they sorted their issues out. The bastard girl was accepted in Godsgrace to grow up together with her trueborn siblings and just two years later, Belandra gave birth to another child, Yandry, who was to be their last child. Alester, having recovered from his sullen state of mind and gotten over his drinking problem, made it a point to raise his children to be responsible and to never repeat his mistake. However, while he had success with Ashara and Yandry, he failed with Theodan, who in turn influenced Ysilla. The boy grew up to be a troublemaker, much to Alester's chagrin, more interested in fighting and whoring around than taking genuine responsibility as the heir to Godsgrace. This reached its peak when Theodan, back then barely a man, was supposed to be wed to one of Lord Vaemon Vaith's daughters in order to form a marriage pact in the same way Alester brought the houses Allyrion and Qorgyle together through his marriage with Belandra. Lord Vaemon's wife, Loreza, arrived in Godsgrace with her two daughters, Dyanna and Isla. Theodan however was more interested in the beautiful Loreza and he ended up seducing her. Not enough, he convinced her to run off and the pair was found days later in a brothel, together with several prostitutes. This deed caused a severe diplomatic crisis with House Vaith and Alester had no other choice but to exile his son for years, giving him to a merchant friend in Pentos, where he hoped Theodan would learn responsibilities. Over the next four years, he instead groomed the more dutiful and capable Ashara in Theodan's stead, even if both knew, it could not last. Due to begging from his wife and all of his children, Alester eventually gave in to demands to allow Theodan to return and he sent Ysilla to the Free Cities, where she was to find Theodan and return him home safely. Book 2 Thorns Alester is introduced in proper when Ysilla and Theodan return to Godsgrace in the company of Jenelyne and Allar. The Lord of Godsgrace and his family has gathered in the courtyard of Godsgrace, where he has a heartfelt reunion with Ysilla and a more frosty one with Theodan. He and his eldest son retreat to talk before dinner, while Ysilla remains to show Jen and Allar around the castle. A few hours later, Alester calls his family and guests for dinner. Perhaps in a bid to teach Theodan humility, he seats him at the bottom of the table, while inviting Ysilla to sit by his side. Appearance Alester is a man of ordinary height and weight, being not much taller than his eldest daughter, Ashara and sporting the same features as his trueborn children, being dark hair and eyes. However, his skin is fair, which is considered unsual for a man from his part of Dorne. Alester wears his dark brown hair down to his shoulder, but cuts his beard short. In his youth, though never having been a particularly skilled fighter, he also used to be quite strong, though as he grew older, he lost most of this physical strength again, even if he remains in good shape for a man in his forties. Personality Alester is widely known to be a man of justice and duty. Stern and often seen as humourless, he has a softer side however that emerges in interaction with his family, whom he all loves dearly. The fact that he fathered a bastard daughter also hints at a more carefree side deep beneath. However, he remains outright stern, demainding respect and imposing his strict rules on others, especially his own family. He has high hopes for each of them, supporting them to his best ability, but he is not above expressing concern and criticism towards those that disappoint him. While demanding obedience to the law, he is also known to be a kind lord to his subjects. He is also a highly religious man, who upholds the ideals of the Seven to the highest degree. Relationships Belandra Allyrion The relationship between Belandra and Alester, though born as a political marriage, has quickly developed into a genuinely loving one. Though Alester has made a mistake by fathering a bastard with another child, Belandra has forgiven him even that, remained by his side and they patched up their marriage. Even over twenty years after they married, they remain in love and supportive of each other. Theodan Allyrion Between Theodan and Alester, there is a complicated relationship. While Alester loves his son and is proud of is fighting abilities, he is more than worried and openly critical of some of his less respectable traits. He openly considers Theodan to be irresponsible and not take his duties seriously enough, though perhaps the trait he considers the worst about his son is that he refuses to settle down with a wife, to further the family line and bring political gain to his family. In return, while Theodan respects his father and would genuinely like to prove himself worthy, he fails to combine this with his preferred lifestyle, leaving their relationship highly stressed. Ashara Allyrion In Theodan's absence, Alester turned to Ashara, treating her almost like his heiress and building her up to potentially even take this position from Theodan, should his behaviour become too troubling. Ashara is probably his favourite offspring and he respects her for showing traits similar to him, her calm and serious behaviour, her collected actions and strong sense of duty. In return, Ashara tries to do whatever she can do gain her father's favour, proving herself to be the most capable of his children. Yandry Allyrion While Yandry is the physically weakest of the Allyrion children, the former warrior Alester does not hold it against him. He admires the boy for his knowledge and intelligence and supports him. This in turn has made Yandry highly devoted to his father and he respects him for his sense of duty and justice. Generally, they treat each other with respect and have a high opinion of each other. Ysilla Sand Though she is only his bastard daughter, Alester makes it a point to show that he does not intend to treat her any different than his children with Belandra. This is highly unusual for a man in his position and it has caused Ysilla to grow extremely fond of him. However, their relationship is strained by Ysilla's closeness to Theodan. Alester fears that his daughter will become only more like her brother, seeing him as anything but a good role model. He is critical of some of her traits, especially her wanting to learn how to fight, instead trying to encourage her to be more like her half-sister. Appearances Category:Characters Category:Book 2 Characters Category:House Allyrion Category:Dornishmen Category:Highborn Category:Lords